Retrofitting the idea of design-Thinking for women's inclusivity in progressive economies

“A change that needs to be planted deep in the roots of our society is via innovation, understanding, involvement and inclusive action," added Nishtha Satyam, country head of UN Women Timor Leste in East Asia.

Satyam’s vision for building an inclusive society had been to bring half of the population back into the game of politics, leadership, science, technology, education, businesses and more and her ideas and initiatives are much in alignment with her vision.

The alignment of her vision to the finding of her purpose is quite a journey, which began way back in the days she was travelling with her father, by the United Nations headquarters. Although, she began the early days of her career in the corporate sector, which didn't turn out to be her calling and destiny, set it for her at the United Nations.

The struggles that women face in our present-day society are deep, though much not visible in clear eyes. From home to workplaces, women though are empowered for their multitasking abilities, however, not much is done for making ambience inclusive and equitable for them. Satyam in her initiatives, passionately advocates sustainable development and inclusive growth, besides creating an equal space for women in the society, culture, and minds of all individuals.

In her prior engagement, Satyam was Deputy Country Representative of the UN Women's Office in India and UN Women's offices in 193 countries. She closely worked with the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office as the Advisor on Private Sector Partnerships to establish multi-stakeholder partnerships with the Government and Private Sector on global goals.

Satyam fondly asserts, "I have had a very strict upbringing and given how casual I was in studies at school, I believe if I can make it so far, any girl can and has the potential. It is only a matter of giving due credit to girls instead of reducing them to live as per the outlined orthodox societal boundaries. Far from uplifting the economy, which as a matter of fact can be easily done and set in motion by just mobilising and empowering half the population, who are women.”

The best bid to analyze the world around us is to either weigh it with the default setting or with the design setting. While design-setting has been purely comfortable and enjoyed by men, society today is driven by them to a great extent. This has only resulted in utter negligence of the basic needs of the women, asserted Satyam.

In a nutshell, it is prominently highlighted that gender-equal spaces in the world are still not a part of any progressive economies and have a huge potential to tap when the deadline is 2030.

As a notable figure in global development goals, Satyam prominently advocates women of diverse cultures, societies, geography and financial roots, with unmatched resilience and setting newer trends for young women and girls to grow.

Speaking of Timor-Leste, Satyam highlights, “It may be a young democracy, but in terms of political representation of women, the sovereign nation has made an unprecedented mark globally.”

World Bank reports further state, in Timor-Leste, 38% of the seats (8 out of 38) in the National Parliament are held by women, which is above 19 per cent in the Asian region and the global average (26 per cent) in 2020.

"Cultural contexts shape and empower women in different ways and force-fitting any particular idea of empowerment on them is unworkable. That’s my learning from the women of Timor-Leste", exclaimed Satyam.

Satyam’s dynamic approach to bringing inclusivity in business, politics, education, leadership, climate change, and sports, her commitment to social responsibility, and her innovative solutions have put her in the global limelight on achieving sustainable development goals when it’s the buzzword across democracies. Her success has inspired countless others, and her influence will continue to shape the future of the world economy.

Sumeet Jindal is the founder of SVJ Communications LLP.

• KT Network